As of November 2018, Lime Scooters are now here in Louisville Kentucky. Some people dislike them but overall they’ve had a great reception, especially since people are used to seeing the nearly identical Bird Scooters around town.
To Rent a Scooter
Renting a scooter is easy. On your Android or iPhone you visit the app store and download the Lime app. The Lime app will show you a map which displays scooters on it near you. You’ll need a driver’s license and a credit card to sign up. Once you sign up, renting a scooter just means scanning the code on the handlebars. It’s $1 to rent and then 15 cents per minute. Ride it wherever you’re going, and leave it (parked neatly) whenever and wherever you’re done. They’re “dockless” meaning you do not have to return them to the place you picked it up.
Here’s what the app looks like and shows areas of the city where Lime is active:
Do I have to where a helmet?
If you’ve looked around in Louisville, you’ll notice that almost no scooter riders are not wearing helmets. When you rent the scooter you agree to wear one, and a helmet could prevent a skull fracture or brain damage if you fall down and hit your head, especially if you aren’t used to zipping around at 15MPH on something with tiny little wheels. That said, legislation has yet to keep up with technology. There are indeed rules for wearing a helmet on a moped, but in Kentucky cyclists aren’t forced to wear one. Scooters are somewhere in between and you can read more about helmet requirements here. You can also get a free Bird helmet if you’d like.
Are electric scooters causing injuries?
If you haven’t been on a scooter in 20 years and you hop on one there’s a good chance you may crash, and going down hurts more now than it did when you were a kid. But, to answer this question, yes, emergency departments all over the USA are indeed seeing a spike in road rash and head injuries from people wiping out on Lime scooters.
Keep in mind: if you were injured due to someone else’s negligence you should call us.
Otherwise, the scooters are fun and if safety precautions are followed pose not much of a greater risk than riding a bicycle. Please do refrain from riding on sidewalks and injuring pedestrians – that’s one more way people are getting hurt by the scooters.
Street or sidewalk?
This varies drastically from state to state and city to city. In Louisville, scooterists should ride in the street or in a designated bicycle lane and not on a sidewalk.
How fast can I go?
The scooters top out at 15MPH. Just 15 seconds on the scooter will likely have your confidence levels at new highs, so just be sure not to go faster than you’re comfortable going.